Friday, November 6, 2020

Music for Anywhere Worship: Sunday, November 8, 2020


We will be expressing our gratitude to God over the next three Sundays leading up to Thanksgiving with special music reflecting that theme!  

Welcome! If you are a first-time visitor, click here to find out the story behind "Notes of Glory" (helping you to SING and worship musically wherever you are)!

Here's an alphabetical list of all  "Notes of Glory" music with links so that you can revisit your favorite hymns/songs anytime, anywhere. 

Complete "Notes of Glory" Song List

TO LISTEN TO MUSIC

Look for the SoundCloud audio player window found below the information provided for each song.  Click on the white arrow in the orange circle.


IF YOU ARE LISTENING/VIEWING ON A MOBILE DEVICE OR TABLET

If given an option on your mobile device, click "LISTEN IN BROWSER" (rather than "Play on SoundCloud") on the audio player windows so that you stay on this page and can sing along using the printed lyrics.




PIANO PRELUDE
(to help you enter into a spirit of worship)

After the Harvest



Piano solo by Lani Smith

Genesis 8:22
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.

Psalm 85:12
Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. 


HYMNS FOR YOU TO SING ANYWHERE
(transposed to easily singable keys!)

Sing to the Lord of Harvest

Words by John S. B. Monsell, Music by Johann Steuerlein

Psalm 65:9-13
You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

Matthew 9:36-38
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
____________________

Anglican poet and clergyman John S. B. Monsell (1811-1875) wrote 11 published collections of poetry, containing 300 hymns. "Sing to the Lord of Harvest" appeared in the 1877 volume titled Hymns of Love and Praise for the Church Year (you can see the entire book online here) preceded by a reference to Jeremiah 5:24, "He reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest." In his poetic writing, Monsell often focused on specific times in the church year and seasons to convey how God cares for us, using language borrowed from nature and leaning heavily on Scripture. You can see this in the lyrics of "Sing to the Lord of Harvest," in which Monsell gives thanks for blessings in the natural world (echoing Psalm 65:9-13, listed above) and also reminds us in the final stanza to, in turn, bring our praises and worship to God. 

Your hearts lay down before Him
When at His feet you fall,
And with your lives adore Him
Who gave His life for all.

The melody frequently matched with "Sing to the Lord of Harvest" was written by Johann Steuerlein, (1546-1614), a German Protestant poet and composer who also had a political career as the mayor of Meiningen in the state of Thuringia. Originally the tune was written in 1575 as a secular song titled "I am embraced with love," but was used in 1581 as a setting for a springtime hymn titled "How Lovely is May" ("Wie Lieblich ist der Maien") by Lutheran pastor Martin Behm. Over 300 years later, Steuerlein's tune was matched with Monsell's text "Sing to the Lord of Harvest" in the 1905 collection Worship Song, with Accompanying Tunes.  

This hymn is probably new to you but it also may become a new autumnal favorite! I first encountered this hymn as a piano arrangement some years ago, and have enjoyed playing it every Thanksgiving season since then.  If you'd like to hear a recording of "Sing to the Lord of Harvest" here's a wonderful one from the Altar of Praise Chorale. 

Public domain. Courtesy of hymnary.org




Sing to the Lord of harvest;
Sing songs of love and praise.
With joyful hearts and voices
Your alleluias raise.
By Him the rolling seasons
In fruitful order move;
Sing to the Lord of harvest
A joyous song of love.

God makes the clouds rain goodness;
The deserts bloom and spring.
The hills leap up in gladness;
The valleys laugh and sing.
God fills them with His fullness,
All things with large increase;
He crowns the year with blessing,
With plenty and with peace.

Bring to this sacred altar
The gifts His goodness gave,
The golden sheaves of harvest,
The souls Christ died to save.
Your hearts lay down before Him
When at His feet you fall,
And with your lives adore Him
Who gave His life for all.

We Plow the Fields and Scatter



Words by Matthias Claudius, translated by Jane M. Campbell. Music by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz

Matthew 13:23
As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty

2 Corinthians 9:10-15
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

James 5:7
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
____________________

We plant seeds in faith, and carefully tend to the earth to the best of our abilities, but it is God alone who provides "the warmth to swell the grain, the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain." Only He bestows "all good gifts around us" and is "the maker of all things near and far." 

This is the theme of "We Plow the Fields and Scatter," a hymn which originated not as a stand-alone poem, but as a song embedded in a newspaper article by German poet and journalist Matthias Claudius (1740-1815) describing a country harvest festival. At one point, the local farmers and peasants sang a simple song of praise to God in the presence of the somewhat arrogant nobility. The original text had 16 four-line stanzas: later versions reduced the hymn to 8 stanzas.  In 1851, musician, scholar and poet Jane Montgomery Campbell (1817-1878) translated the German hymn to English and converted it to three eight-line stanzas, retaining the original emphasis on good gifts coming from God and giving thanks for many blessings. (Jane Campbell also was one of the earliest translators of "Silent Night" from German to English). Several melodies have been matched with "We Plow the Fields and Scatter," but the best-known today was written in 1800 by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (1747-1800), a German composer who wrote hymn tunes but also operas, oratories, keyboard works, and popular songs. 

If this hymn is new to you, here's a wonderful video featuring the congregation and musicians of All Saint's Church in Northampton, England singing "We Plow the Fields and Scatter," and here's a recording with organ and choir featuring the Scottish Festival Singers. 







We plow the fields and scatter
the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered
by God's almighty hand.
God sends the snow in winter,
the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes and the sunshine,
and soft, refreshing rain.

Refrain:
All good gifts around us
are sent from heaven above;
thank you, Lord,
O thank you for all your love.

You only are the maker
of all things near and far,
you paint the wayside flower,
you light the evening star.
The winds and waves obey you,
by you the birds are fed;
much more, to us, your children,
you give our daily bread. [Refrain]

We thank you, then, Creator,
for all things bright and good,
the seed time and the harvest,
our life, our health, our food.
And all that we can offer,
your boundless love imparts;
the gifts to you most pleasing
are humble, thankful hearts. [Refrain]

Thanks to God for My Redeemer


Words by August Ludwig Storm, translated by Carl E. Backstrom. Music by Johannes Alfred Hultman

Psalm 69:30
I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

1 Corinthians 15:56-57
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Hebrews 13:15
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
______________________

Although written 6 years earlier than the well-known hymn "Count Your Blessings" (to be featured next week on "Notes of Glory"...stay tuned!), "Thanks to God for My Redeemer" does exactly that, 24 times.  Mentions of material and natural blessings are mixed with reminders that God's sustenance in difficult times is also something to be grateful for. ("Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure, thanks for comfort in despair"). Each line begins with the word "thanks," making this a most appropriate hymn for all grateful hearts!

August Ludvig Storm (1862-1914) was converted to Christianity as a young man in Sweden by attending a Salvation Army meeting, then joined the organization and became its financial secretary. In 1891, he wrote the poem "Thanks to God for my Redeemer" which appeared in the Swedish version of the Salvation Army publication The War Cry on December 5, 1891. Carl E. Backstrom (1901-1984), whose family emigrated from Sweden to American in 1907, translated the hymn from Swedish to English. Swedish-American evangelist, singer, composer and publisher Johannes Alfred Hultman (1861-1942) wrote the tune, "Tack o Gud" ("Thanks to God") for this poem. Hultman, known as "the Sunshine Singer," was one of the founders of the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church and contributed to the church's first official hymnal: he also donated generously to North Park Theological Seminary, where he had previously served on the music faculty.  Here's a historic recording of Hultman singing one of his own melodies, "Let the sunshine in" (Släpp solsken in). 

Here's a version of this wonderful Thanksgiving hymn by George Beverly Shea with the Blackwood Brothers.  Also, here's an a capella choral arrangement by the SMS Mens' Chorus.  

Public domain. Courtesy of hymnary.org

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a mem’ry,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and stormy fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
Thanks for heav’nly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!

Bringing in the Sheaves



Words by Knowles Shaw, Music by George A. Minor. Solo piano arrangement by Pamela M. Robertson

Psalm 126:6
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.

Hosea 6:11
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

2 Corinthians 9:6
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Growing up in rural Indiana and Ohio in the mid-1800s, Knowles Shaw (1834-1878) would have been very familiar with the rhythms and seasons of farm life. Although his father was a farmer (who died when Shaw was 10 years old) and Shaw himself worked as a farm hand for a period of time, he eventually pursued the harvest of souls for the kingdom of God as a full-time career, becoming a traveling evangelist also skilled as a violinist, pianist, singer and composer. Knowles often opened his evangelistic meetings by sitting at the piano for 30 minutes or so, playing and singing gospel songs, including his own compositions, and would then preach an extended sermon. Shaw died at the age of 44 due to injuries suffered in a train accident, and it was reported that his final words were "It is a grand thing to rally people to the Cross of Christ."

Inspired by Psalm 126:6 (shown above), Shaw wrote "Bringing in the Sheaves" in 1874.  Although Shaw wrote his own melody to match the text of "Bringing in the Sheaves," the hymn is usually sing to a melody written in 1880 by American composer and organ/piano manufacturer George A. Minor (1845-1904). 


Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve,
Waiting for the harvest and the time of reaping —
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain:
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the sheaves,
bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest and our labor ended -
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. [Refrain]

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our weeping's over He will bid us welcome -
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

BONUS: Here's a complete playlist of all the music featured in today's post.

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Friday, October 30, 2020

Music for Anywhere Worship: Sunday, November 1, 2020





Welcome! If you are a first-time visitor,  click here to find out what "Notes of Glory" is all about (short story: helping you to SING and worship musically wherever you are)!

Here's an alphabetical list of all  "Notes of Glory" music with links so that you can revisit your favorite hymns/songs. 

Complete "Notes of Glory" Song List

TO LISTEN TO MUSIC

Look for the SoundCloud audio player window found below the information provided for each song.  Click on the white arrow in the orange circle.


IF YOU ARE LISTENING/VIEWING ON A MOBILE DEVICE OR TABLET

If given an option on your mobile device, click "LISTEN IN BROWSER" (rather than "Play on SoundCloud") on the audio player windows so that you stay on this page and can sing along using the printed lyrics.




PIANO PRELUDE
(to help you enter into a spirit of worship)

Come My Soul, Thou Must Be Waking



Words by Friedrich R. L. von Canitz, translated by Henry James Buckoll, Music by Franz Joseph Haydn.  Piano solo arrangement by Penny Rodriguez.

Psalm 17:15
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Psalm 57:8-9
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

Psalm 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.

Acts 5:32
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
____________________

The piano prelude today was selected both for its relevance to this weekend in which Daylight Savings Time ends (resulting in more morning light...for a while) as well as for its reminder that God is an ever-present source of strength and help in our daily lives (see lyrics posted below).

German poet and diplomat Friedrich Rudolf Ludwig von Canitz (1654-1699) was educated at the universities of Leipzig and Leiden, and then worked for the Elector Frederick Wilhelm of Brandenburg.  He was later appointed councilor of legation, then privy councilor, and was finally created a baron of the empire. Friedrich von Canitz also wrote a variety of poems, including a set of 24 spiritual poems, published after his death at age 45. "Come, my soul, thou must be waking" comes from this posthumous collection, and it was translated into English in 1840 by Henry James Buckoll. 

At the time of the English translation of "Come My Soul," the following touching story about Friedrich von Canitz  was shared in Thomas Arnold's "The Christian Life: Its Course, Its Hindrances, and Its Helps (London, 1841, p. 61). 

Some may know the story of that German nobleman (von Canitz) whose life had been distinguished alike by genius and worldly distinctions, and by Christian holiness; and who, in the last morning of his life, when the dawn broke into his sick chamber, prayed that he might be supported to the window, and might look once again upon the rising sun. After looking steadily at it for some time, he cried out, "Oh! if the appearance of this earthly and created thing is so beautiful and quickening, how much more shall I be enraptured at the sight of the unspeakable glory of the Creator Himself." That was the feeling of a man whose sense of earthly beauty bad all the keenness of a poet's enthusiasm, but who, withal, had in his greatest health and vigour preserved the consciousness that his life was hid with Christ in God; that the things seen, how beautiful soever, were as nothing to the things which are not seen. 

The exquisite melody matched with "Come My Soul, Thou Must Be Waking" was written by Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), who once stated, ""when I think upon my God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap from my pen." Another Haydn tune, "Austrian Hymn" was featured previously here on Notes of Glory as the melody for "Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens Adore Him." 

Come, my soul, thou must be waking;
Now is breaking
Over the earth another day;
Come to him who made this splendor;
See thou render
All thy feeble strength can pay.

Gladly hail the sun returning;
Ready burning
Be the incense of thy powers;
For the night is safely ended;
God hath tended
With his care thy helpless hours.

Pray that he may prosper ever
Each endeavor,
When thine aim is good and true;
But that he may ever thwart thee,
And convert thee,
When thou evil wouldst pursue.

Only God's free gifts abuse not,
Light refuse not,
But this Spirit's voice obey;
Thou with him shalt dwell, beholding
Light enfolding
All things in unclouded day.

HYMNS FOR YOU TO SING ANYWHERE
(transposed to easily singable keys!)

For All the Saints



Words by William Walsham How, Music by Ralph Vaughn Williams

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Revelation 14:12-13
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"

Psalm 71:3
Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.

Revelation 21:21-25
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.  And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
____________________

"For all the Saints" is a beloved hymn of remembrance that alternates in each verse between recalling heroes of the faith and pointing singers/listeners toward the Savior whom they served, praising Him with a hearty "Alleluia."  The text was composed by English bishop and hymnwriter William Walsham How (1823-1897), who also wrote "O Word of God Incarnate," featured on the September 13 edition of Notes of Glory (you can read more about  the life and music of William Walsham How here). First published in 1864, the hymn appeared with the title "A Cloud of Witnesses" (a reference to Hebrews 12:1) in the printed collection Hymns for Saints’ Days and Other Hymns, edited by Horatio Nelson.  

Different hymnals include different combinations of How's original 11 stanzas.  You might enjoy reading or singing these stanzas that are often omitted from the printed sheet music version of "For All The Saints" shown below:

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia!

For the Apostles’ glorious company,
Who, bearing forth the cross o’er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to thee,
Alleluia!

For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord
Is fair and fruitful, be thy name adored,
Alleluia!

For Martyrs, who, with rapture-kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And died to grasp it, thee we glorify,
Alleluia!

The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia!

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia!

The gorgeous melody for "For All The Saints" that we usually sing today was written by British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) specifically for this text and published in the English Hymnal in 1906. If this hymn is new to you, you might enjoy watching this video featuring an English church congregation singing it, with organ accompaniment. Here's a recording by the St. Paul's Cathedral Choir, and here's a lovely solo version by Christian singer Fernando Ortega

Public domain. Courtesy PDhymns.com





For all the saints who from their labors rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
and win with them the victor's crown of gold.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Shall We Gather At the River



Words and Music by Robert Lowry

Revelation 22:1-5
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb  through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Hebrews 8:1-2
Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.

Revelation 14:13
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
___________________

Robert Lowry (1826-1899) was a renowned American preacher who is today best known as a gospel hymn writer. He wrote over 500 hymns, often composing both words and music. Some of his best known songs include "How Can I Keep From Singing?," "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus," and "Christ Arose! (Low in the Grave He Lay)."

According to author Henry Burrage, in his book, Baptist Hymn Writers and Their Hymns, Lowry's hymn "Shall We Gather at the River" was created in the midst of a typhoid epidemic in Brooklyn, NY during the Civil War. 

The hymn “Shall we gather at the river” was written one afternoon in July, 1864, when Dr. Lowry was pastor of the Hanson Place Baptist Church, Brooklyn, N.Y. The weather was oppressively hot, and the author was lying on a lounge in a state of physical exhaustion. He was almost incapable of bodily exertion, and his imagination began to take itself wings. Visions of the future passed before him with startling vividness. The imagery of the Apocalypse took the form of tableaux. Brightest of all were the throne, the heavenly river, and the gathering of the saints. While he was thus breathing heavily in the sultry atmosphere of that July day, his soul seemed to take new life from that celestial outlook. He began to wonder why the hymn-writers had said so much about “the river of death,” and so little about “the pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

As he mused, the words began to construct themselves. They came first as a question, of Christian inquiry, “Shall we gather?” Then they broke out in chorus, as an answer of Christian faith, “Yes, we’ll gather.” On this question and answer the hymn developed itself. The music came with the hymn. The author never has been able to tell which had priority of birth. They are twins. When song had formulated itself, the author sprang up, sat down at his organ, played the tune through, and sang the first stanza and the chorus. Then he wrote it out. 

If this song is new to you, you might enjoy listening to this version from a capella gospel singing group Take 6.  Here's an arrangement from the gospel group The Chuck Wagon Gang, and here's a recording from the Celebration Choir. 

Public domain. Courtesy of hymnary.org




Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod;
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?

Refrain:
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.

On the margin of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
We will walk and worship ever,
All the happy golden day. [Refrain]

Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we ev'ry burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown. [Refrain]

Soon we'll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease;
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace. [Refrain]

Let Saints on Earth in Concert Sing



Words by Charles Wesley, "Dundee" hymn tune arranged by Thomas Ravenscroft

1 Corinthians 12:12
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

Ephesians 2:19
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Joshua 3:14-17
So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
____________________

Hymns by pastor and prolific writer Charles Wesley have been regularly featured here on Notes of Glory.  Wesley wrote over 6500 hymns, including "Love Divine, All Loves, Excelling," "Rejoice, the Lord is King," "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and "Jesus, Lover of My Soul."  He also wrote "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing," which includes a verse that states "Glory to God, and praise and love, be ev'r, ev'r given, by saints below and saints above the church in earth and heaven."  This stanza refers to the biblical description of saints as living Christians, and also refers to believers in heaven (who are "absent from the body, present with the Lord" [2 Corinthians 5:8]) as saints. 

In "Let Saints on Earth in Concert Sing," Wesley expanded on that concept of "saints above and saints below." The title of this hymn doesn't tell the whole story (he's not suggesting that Christians simply present a choral performance!). The idea is that Christians both here on earth and in heaven alike are united in singing praise to God: "Let saints on earth in concert sing with those whose work is done."  The phrase "in concert" refers to togetherness, and the hymn details the temporary separation of death, using the Biblical account of crossing the river Jordan to remind believers that heaven will be our home, because of Christ's victory over death (as Wesley dramatically pointed out in another hymn, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today"):

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

For many of us the idea of singing together brings deep longing: after months of separation from other believers, we yearn for the day when we can once again sing "in concert" (together) just as we also look forward to the day of reunification with our loved ones in heaven. Wesley reminds us that, while yet apart, separated by space and even the "narrow stream of death," we are "one family" as we are "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). 

Because this hymn may be new to you, you might enjoy listening to this lovely recording by the choir of Sidney Sussex College before singing it yourself.  You may recognize the melody as the tune for "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" ("Dundee" hymn tune by Thomas Ravenscroft, from the 1615 Scottish Psalter) featured in this post. 
 





Let saints on earth in concert sing
with those whose work is done;
for all the servants of our King
in heaven and earth are one.

One family, we dwell in him,
one church, above, beneath;
though now divided by the stream,
the narrow stream of death.

One army of the living God,
to his command we bow:
part of the host have crossed the flood,
and part are crossing now.

E'en now to their eternal home
there pass some spirits blest;
while others to the margin come,
waiting their call to rest.

Jesu, be thou our constant guide;
then, when the word is given,
bid Jordan's narrow stream divide,
and bring us safe to heaven.

POSTLUDE
(to send you forth with joy!)

Look, Ye Saints, the Sight is Glorious


Words by Thomas Kelly, Music by William Owen.  Piano solo arrangement by Mark Hayes.

Daniel 7:14
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.

Romans 14:11
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.

Hebrews 2:9
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Revelation 7:9-12
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,  and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
____________________

"Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious" paints a picture of the resurrected and triumphant Jesus Christ, and beckons saints (all those who believe in Christ) to ponder his victory and majesty. It was written by Thomas Kelly (1769-1855), an Irish evangelical cleric who was known for his open-air preaching.  He also wrote approximately 765 hymns, including "Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him" which was featured earlier this month on Notes of Glory.  Welsh composer William Owen (1814-1893) wrote the bold hymn tune "Bryn Calfaria" which is paired with "Look, Ye Saints" here. Little is known of Owen other than that he was a locally trained musician in North Wales who wrote a number of well-received hymn tunes during his lifetime.  Like his father, Owen worked at a slate quarry and is said to have written "Bryn Calfaria" ("Calvary Hill") on a slate on his way to work. It is also used as the tune for the English hymn "Lord Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor." 

Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious:
see the Man of Sorrows now;
from the fight returned victorious,
ev'ry knee to him shall bow.
Crown him! Crown him!
Crowns become the Victor's brow.

Crown the Savior, angels, crown him;
rich the trophies Jesus brings;
in the seat of pow'r enthrone him,
while the vault of heaven rings.
Crown him! Crown him!
Crown the Savior King of kings.

Sinners in derision crowned him,
mocking thus the Savior's claim;
saints and angels crowd around him,
own his title, praise his name.
Crown him! Crown him!
Spread abroad the Victor's fame!

Hark! those bursts of acclamation!
Hark! those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station;
O what joy the sight affords!
Crown him! Crown him!
King of kings and Lord of lords.


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Saturday, October 24, 2020

Music for Anywhere Worship: Sunday, October 25, 2020


Welcome! If you are a first-time visitor,  click here to find out what "Notes of Glory" is all about (short story: helping you to SING and worship musically wherever you are)!

Here's an alphabetical list of all  "Notes of Glory" music with links so that you can revisit your favorite hymns/songs. 

Complete "Notes of Glory" Song List

TO LISTEN TO MUSIC

Look for the SoundCloud audio player window found below the information provided for each song.  Click on the white arrow in the orange circle.


IF YOU ARE LISTENING/VIEWING ON A MOBILE DEVICE OR TABLET

If given an option on your mobile device, click "LISTEN IN BROWSER" (rather than "Play on SoundCloud") on the audio player windows so that you stay on this page and can sing along using the printed lyrics.




PIANO PRELUDE
(to help you enter into a spirit of worship)

Blessed Jesus, At Your Word




Words by Tobias Clausnitzer, translated by Catherine Winkworth. Music by Johann Rudolf Ahle. Piano solo arrangement by Terry Osman.

John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

John 6:63-68
"The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” 
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
________________________

Many parts of Protestant Europe were still recovering from the extended desolation wrought by the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) when the hymn "Blessed Jesus, at Your Word," written by German pastor Tobias Clausnitzer (1619-1684), was first published in 1663.  Clausnitzer had served as a chaplain for the Swedish regiment stationed in Leipzig during the long conflict, and had preached a sermon of thanksgiving for the Swedish general's peace celebration in Weiden (Bavaria, Germany) in January 1649, following the Peace of Westphalia, formalized the preceding October. 

British scholar Catherine Winkworth translated "Blessed Jesus" along with many Reformation-era hymns into English, and it first appeared in her collection of German hymn translations Lyra Germanica in 1858.  The hymn tune "Liebster Jesu" was composed by Johann Rudolf Ahle (1625-1673) who was a German organist and composer renowned for his sacred choral music.  

"Blessed Jesus, at Your Word" is a prayer for illumination, and an invitation to believers to find healing, meaning and new life in the Spirit and Word of God. 

Blessed Jesus, at your word
we are gathered all to hear you.
Let our hearts and souls be stirred
now to seek and love and fear you.
By your gospel pure and holy,
teach us, Lord, to love you solely.

All our knowledge, sense, and sight
lie in deepest darkness shrouded,
till your Spirit breaks our night
with your beams of truth unclouded.
You alone to God can win us;
you must work all good within us.

Glorious Lord, yourself impart;
Light of Light, from God proceeding,
open lips and ears and heart;
help us by your Spirit's leading.
Hear the cry your church now raises;
Lord, accept our prayers and praises. 

HYMNS TO SING WHEREVER YOU ARE
(transposed to easily singable keys!)

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God


Words and Music by Martin Luther

Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

Luke 21:16-18
You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish.

Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 4:4
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
____________________

"A Mighty Fortress is our God," one of the great hymns of the Christian faith, was composed around 1527 by German pastor and scholar Martin Luther (1483-1546), leader of the Reformation movement (but not the first or only voice to call for church reform: you can learn of many of these pioneering reformers here). Luther's view of music was that it, like the Bible, should be accessible to ordinary people in their own language. He encouraged congregational singing by advocating the use of simple, clear, biblically-based lyrics and easily singable, appealing melodies.  Luther wrote a number of hymns during his lifetime and "A Mighty Fortress" exemplifies his musical ideas: it was inspired by Psalm 46, and Luther (an accomplished amateur musician) also composed the uplifting, appealing tune, according to most modern scholars. 

The hymn was first translated into English less than 10 years after its composition, but the best known translation, and the one most commonly used today, was completed in 1853 by Frederick Hedge (here's a fascinating article comparing Hedge's translation with a more literal German-to-English version). 

As you might imagine, there are many recorded versions of "A Mighty Fortress" available to enjoy, which might be helpful if this hymn is new to you or you'd like a brief review before singing it yourself!  Here's Mahalia Jackson's recording, here's a version by the King's College Choir, here's a 2014 recording from a live performance by the California Baptist University choir and orchestra, and here's a contemporary arrangement by Matt Boswell.  You can also learn more about Martin Luther and the Reformation era by watching this excellent full-length documentary from Ligonier Ministries, as well as this full-length PBS documentary from 2017.

Martin Luther said, "As long as we live there is never enough singing."  So . . . let's get right to the singing!






Public Domain. Courtesy of Hymnary.org



A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God's own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

That Word above all earthly powers
no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours
through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever!

 
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above



Words by Johann Jakob Schütz, translated by Frances Elizabeth Cox. "Mit Freuden Zart" hymn tune

Deuteronomy 32:3
For I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
ascribe greatness to our God!

Psalm 7:17
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Hebrews 13:15
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Philippians 2:10-11
So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Revelation 19:5
And from the throne came a voice saying,
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
small and great.”
___________________

German lawyer Johann Jakob Schütz (1640-1690) was  part of a group of hymn writers living in Frankfurt that also included Philip J Spener and Johann Peterson: all three were part of the Pietist movement within the Lutheran church that emphasized Biblical doctrine and living out one's faith in a dynamic way. Schütz's jubilant hymn written in 1675, "Sing Praise to God who Reigns Above," emphasizes a joyful recognition of God's power and also His comforting presence ("the Lord is never far away, but through all grief distressing, an ever present help and stay, our peace and joyful blessing").  We are able to enjoy this hymn today due to the excellent translation work of British scholar Frances Elizabeth Cox  (1812-1897) who, like Catherine Winkworth, helped bring many German hymns into the English language during the 19th century. 

The tune matched with "Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above" here was composed nearly 100 years before Schütz's text appeared.  Although the actual composer of "Mit Freuden Zart" ("With Tender Joy") is unknown (some scholars believe the melody can be traced back to a French pastoral song), it first appeared in the 1566 hymnal of the Bohemian Brethren. 

If this hymn is new to you, here's a recording from the Northland Baptist Bible College Choir, and here's one from the London Fox Choir with the City of Prague Philharmonic. German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) composed a beautiful sacred song arrangement of "Mit Freuden Zart" that you also might enjoy listening to: here's a recording. 

Public domain. Courtesy of Hymnary.org





Sing praise to God who reigns above,
the God of all creation,
the God of power, the God of love,
the God of our salvation.
With healing balm my soul is filled
and every faithless murmur stilled:
To God all praise and glory.

The Lord is never far away,
but through all grief distressing,
an ever present help and stay,
our peace and joy and blessing.
As with a mother's tender hand,
God gently leads the chosen band:
To God all praise and glory.

Thus all my toilsome way along,
I sing aloud thy praises,
that earth may hear the grateful song
my voice unwearied raises.
Be joyful in the Lord, my heart,
both soul and body bear your part:
To God all praise and glory.

Let all who name Christ's holy name
give God all praise and glory;
let all who own his power proclaim
aloud the wondrous story!
Cast each false idol from its throne,
for Christ is Lord, and Christ alone:
To God all praise and glory.

Jesus, Priceless Treasure



Words by Johann Franck, translated by Catherine Winkworth.  Music by Johann Crüger

Psalm 63:1
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Luke 8:22-25
One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Philippians 3:7-11
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
____________________

"Jesus, Priceless Treasure" may be a new hymn to you.  But it's worth getting to know this compelling song which poetically combines direct pleas to the Savior with observances of Jesus's love, his comforting and calming attributes, and the peace He gives to believers. 

The deeply moving poetry of "Jesus, Priceless Treasure" was written by Johann Franck (1618-1677), a German poet, lawyer, and public official.  Franck began legal studies at the University of Königsberg in 1638: this was the only German university left undisturbed by the desolation of the Thirty Years' War. However, the conflict was so intermittently severe in his hometown of Guben (in the state of Brandenburg, Germany) that Franck's mother pleaded for him to return home due to the turmoil there. Aside from travel to Prague, Franck remained in Guben for the rest of his life, and had a successful career as an attorney and mayor, among other positions.  He wrote both secular and religious poetry and published his first collection of these works in 1646. As with "Blessed Jesus, At Your Word" and so many 16th and 17th century German hymns, "Jesus, Priceless Treasure" was translated into English by Catherine Winkworth. 

German composer and music educator Johann Crüger (1598-1662) also faced extreme hardship during the Thirty Years' War: he nearly died of the plague and suffered the loss of his wife and five children from that same disease. Yet Crüger found an expressive outlet in composing melodies to hymn texts by others including "Ah, Holy Jesus," "Now Thank We All Our God," and "Jesus, Priceless Treasure." 

If this hymn is new to you, feel free to listen to a verse or two of the piano accompaniment below before joining in with singing.  Also: here is a recording from the Concordia Theological Seminary choir, "Kantorei,"  here is a recording from the Angelus Choir, and here is Johann Sebastian Bach's poignant motet arrangement of this hymn, performed by the Choir of King's College. (In fact, the sheet music shown below features Bach's chorale-style harmonization). 

I hope this beautiful hymn touches your soul today and draws you nearer to the greatest treasure, Jesus Christ.  You'll notice that the lyrics on the printed sheet music differ from the lyrics listed below the audio player window.  The stand-alone lyrics are a slightly more modern translation: choose whichever one you prefer to sing.  

Public domain. Courtesy of PDhymns.




Jesus, priceless treasure,
source of purest pleasure,
friend most sure and true:
long my heart was burning,
fainting much and yearning,
thirsting, Lord, for you.
Yours I am, O spotless Lamb,
so will I let nothing hide you,
seek no joy beside you!

Let your arms enfold me:
those who try to wound me
cannot reach me here.
Though the earth be shaking,
every heart be quaking,
Jesus calms my fear.
Fires may flash and thunder crash;
yea, though sin and hell assail me,
Jesus will not fail me.

Banish thoughts of sadness,
for the Lord of gladness,
Jesus, enters in;
though the clouds may gather,
those who love the Savior
still have peace within.
Though I bear much sorrow here,
still in you lies purest pleasure,
Jesus, priceless treasure!

POSTLUDE
(to send you forth with joy and gladness!)
 
In Thee is Gladness



Words by Johann Lindemann, translated by Catherine Winkworth. Music by Giovanni Gastoldi. Piano solo arrangement by Terry Osman

Psalm 30:11-12
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

1 Peter 1:6-9
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
___________________

"In Thee is Gladness" is a relatively rare instance in hymnody in which the hymn text was written to fit a pre-existing tune (rather than the other way around!).  Giovanni Gastoldi (1554-1609) was a priest and composer from Mantua, Italy. In 1591 he published a set of secular balleti (dance-like songs) which became extremely popular both in Italy and across Europe. One of these rhythmically vivacious tunes became the basis for the hymn text "In Thee is Gladness" which was written by German composer Johann Lindemann (1549-1631), a distant relative of Martin Luther.  Lindemann's "In Thee Is Gladness" was published in 1598, and was translated into English in 1858 by noted scholar and translator Catherine Winkworth (this is her third appearance on Notes of Glory today!). The infectious melody and encouraging text, an unlikely combination from two very different (and at that time, quite literally conflicting) cultures, should set your soul to dancing!  

In thee is gladness
amid all sadness,
Jesus, daystar of my heart!
By thee are given
the gifts of heaven,
thou the true Redeemer art!
Our souls thou wakest;
our bonds thou breakest.
Who trusts thee surely
has built securely
and stands forever:
Alleluia!
Our hearts are longing
to see thy dawning.
Living or dying,
in thee abiding,
naught can us sever:
Alleluia!

Jesus is ours!
We fear no powers,
not of earth or sin or death.
He sees and blesses
in worst distresses;
he can change them with a breath.
Wherefore the story—
tell of his glory
with hearts and voices;
all heaven rejoices
in him forever:
Alleluia!
We shout for gladness,
triumph o'er sadness,
love him and praise him,
and still shall raise him
glad hymns forever:
Alleluia!

BONUS: Here's a playlist with all the music from today's post!

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